True Confession #2: I was on a house tour in Liverpool when I visited John’s childhood home called Mendips. But, I was the only person in the bedroom. I wasn’t sharing the space with the others on the tour.

I was visiting my husband’s family in England when Martin and I took our annual visit to Liverpool, one of my favorite cities. And the Mersey River that runs through Liverpool is one of my most favorite spots in the world.

That particular day we decided to take a tour of the childhood homes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Standing in John’s bedroom was a profoundly moving experience. I could feel the spirit of that restless young man. And to be able to experience it alone, in silence, was a gift.

I realized later that the tour of those houses, and in particular the time I spent in John’s bedroom, had really been a pilgrimage for me.

Pilgrimage – the word conjures up religious images, but one can also have secular pilgrimages. For me, the true test of a pilgrimage is the lasting transformation that happens as a result of visiting a particular location.

I found, too, that when I get out of my own way – and allow myself to wander, and be led by something that is calling me –the result is nothing short of pure joy and transformation.

I wrote a book on pilgrimage and the places that spiritually transformed me in which I take the reader to places like Circus Maximus in Rome, England, South Philadelphia, and (for those old enough to remember) a taping of the Mike Douglas Show in Philadelphia. The book is currently with a boutique publisher who is considering it for publication. Either way, the book will be birthed this year!

How about you? Where have you traveled that left you transformed? What was the experience like?

If you’re in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area and want to explore the concept of pilgrimage a bit more, I’m offering a two-hour workshop on February 25 at the Lourdes Wellness Center on this topic. We’re going to talk about our travels and experiences!

All You Need Is Love

Since Lennon/McCartney have appeared in the first part of this newsletter, let’s carry them into the second half.

February is the month most associated with love; a time when we tell others how much we love them through cards, candy and flowers. I’m going out on a limb now, but let me guess that you spend the majority of your life giving to others. Good thing. But, how much time do you devote – yes, devote – as in carve out time – for yourself? In some circles it’s called radical self-care.

I encourage you to send yourself some of that February love this month – and every other month. Be kind to yourself – rest your body and mind when they’re tired, feed and nourish your body with healthy food, feed and nourish your soul with healthy thoughts. Do things that make you happy. Move away from people and situations that devalue you and drain you.

The Gift

A dear friend visited me this weekend and gave me a gift of a ceramic hand with a heart in its palm. We talked (over a bottle of wine!) about what the image meant to us. Hold onto love, she suggested. I told her that for me the image was saying to “stop in the name of love.” To put up some boundaries against those things, situations, and yes, people that threaten our self-love. Where love has no bounds, it does need boundaries. Love yourself and you will be able to work miracles in this world. The world needs love, sweet love, as the song says. And the more love you show yourself the more love you’ll generate to share with others. Pretty simple.

How about you? How do you view the image? Leave a comment on my Facebook page (Anne Greco Life Coaching) or respond to this newsletter through an email.